20 June 2014
This weeks’ whole school homework is Talk Time and also involves completing the pupil health questionnaire sent home with your child.
I can share my views about health.
Emotional health and obesity are our two main health targets to further our healthy schools status and the questions are linked to these areas. They include:
- Are you happy at school?
- What do you enjoy most about playtimes and lunchtimes?
Please support your child to complete the health questionnaire in order to find out their views on some of our key health issues at school. This should be returned to your class teacher by Wednesday 25 June.
6 June 2014
This week’s homework is creative(ish) and is due Wednesday 11 June.
I can research a cyclist from the Tour de France.
The homework requires your child to complete a mini-research project on a well-known cyclist from the Tour de France. Your child has been given a booklet with certain information they must find out. Encourage your child to look in newspapers, magazines or online to investigate the life of their chosen cyclist.
The research your child uncovers will help inform next week’s Literacy lessons.
02 May 2014
This week’s homework is practice makes perfect and is due in on Wednesday 07 May.
I can answer questions about a text.
I’d like the children to carefully read the text they have been given and answer the questions – this will test their comprehension skills as well as reading. This is a great way to ensure your child is understanding what they’re reading whilst building on skills we’ve learnt throughout the year so far.
25 April 2014
The homework this week is creative and is due in on Wednesday 30 April.
I can show what I have learnt about permeable and impermeable materials.
Permeable materials allow gases or liquids through them and impermeable materials do not.
We’ve been learning about rocks and fossils in our topic lessons this week. Yesterday, we classified rocks according to different criteria and one of the tests we did was whether the rocks were permeable or impermeable to water.
The children are tasked with finding some materials around the home which are permeable or impermeable to water (or gas) and should be able to say why it is necessary that those materials are either permeable or impermeable. For example, a permeable cup wouldn’t be very useful as it would let all the liquid through it.
It’s the Easter holidays…
…so we have no set homework or spellings, in line with our Homework Policy.
That doesn’t mean we expect your child not to be developing their skills in reading, writing and maths!
Your child should be reading daily – this could be fiction, factual books, a comic or newspaper, and could include being read to at bedtime, too.
It would be good to practise basic skills in writing by writing a letter or email to a relative, perhaps recounting a day-trip or reviewing a film your child watched.
We’re finding quite a few children are ‘squashing their sentences’ such as I went to Leeds City Museum it was really interesting which is wrong. It would be much better with punctuation to separate or a word to join:
- I went to Leeds City Museum. It was really interesting. (A comma isn’t strong enough to separate two sentences.)
- I went to Leeds City Museum – it was really interesting.
- I went to Leeds City Museum; it was really interesting.
- I went to Leeds City Museum and it was really interesting.
- I went to Leeds City Museum which was really interesting.
Finally, to improve calculation skills, please keep practising mental number facts which your child must know:
- number bonds (two numbers which add up to 10, 20 and 100 eg 3+7, 13+7, 30+70) – these facts should be known by children in Y1 – Y2
- times tables (up to 12×12) and the division facts with your child – children in Y2 should have rapid recall of x2, x 5 and x 10 at least
We know we mention these ‘basics’ a lot, but that’s because they involve practice, practice and more practice – we practise a lot at school, but your child will need to practise at home, too, if they are to truly succeed.
Learn more about current expectations for reading, writing and maths. However, do be aware that a new National Curriculum comes into effect from September, meaning these expectations have been raised and so many aspects of learning now feature in younger age groups.
28 March 2014
The homework this week is talk time and is due in on Wednesday 02 April.
I can talk about my talents.
The SEAL theme at the moment is Good to be me. Everyone has different talents and things that they are good at. Talk to your child about the different talents that you have in your family. Do you share any of the same talents? Are they totally different?
14 March 2014
The homework this week is practice makes perfect and is due in on Wednesday 19 March.
I can find fractions.
We’ve been learning about fractions this week so this homework is an extension of that learning. All children have a worksheet in their books which they have to complete and hand in. Ask your children what methods they have been using to find the answers to similar problems this week.
Please come and see me if you have any questions.
07 March 2014
For all children in Year 1 – Year 6, the homework this week is creative and is due in on Wednesday 12 March.
I can respond to my reading.
This homework follows the wonderful costumes and learning inspired by World Book Day.
As always, some ways that your children can respond are listed below:
- Write a letter to a character or author.
- Interview a character or author.
- Annotate a page of a novel with words/phrases/sentences/ descriptions that you like and why (top tip: get a photocopy of the page, don’t annotate your actual book!)
- Create a book review.
- Create a comic strip which summarises the story.
It’s half-term…
It’s the half-term, so in line with our current homework policy, there are no homework tasks or spellings to learn.
However, please make sure you’re reading lots with your child – we’re finding children are reading less than they need to if they are to gain fluency and understanding. You could take your child to a local library, hunt down an old favourite to re-visit, plan a story book for each bedtime over the holiday, read more about a favourite subject on the internet, buy a comic or magazine… And, so they have good role models, make sure your child sees you read, too!
Our current homework policy will be reviewed soon. A small number of you have told us you’re not entirely happy with it – it would be really helpful if you tell us more about what you’d like. Send us an email or speak with Mrs Weekes or me about this. Thank you.
31 January 2014
For all children in Year 1 – Year 6, the homework this week is creative and is due in on Wednesday 05 February.
I know what makes a good school councillor.
It’s time for children to consider if they would like to stand for election for our new school council. With two representatives from each class, chosen democratically by their peers, all children at Moortown Primary are encouraged to take an active part in pupil voice.
Elections for our new school council will take place next Friday 07 February with our polling station and ballot boxes at the ready. Candidates will have the opportunity to give their election speech to their class on Wednesday 05 February or Thursday 06 February.
What makes a good school councillor has been considered by our current school council and in each class this week. Suggestions have included:
- ‘Communicating with others – pupils and adults.’
- ‘Having good listening skills to know what to contribute in meetings.’
- ‘Thinking of realistic ideas to suggest in meetings.’
We invite children to respond to the sentence above in a creative way – they might choose to use this time to prepare an election speech or otherwise consider this statement and present it as a character description, pictures, an interview with a current school councillor or other ideas of your own. For either option you should include the importance of voting.
Hints for your speech include:
- What skills and abilities would a good school councillor have?
- What are you particularly good at that would help you to be a great school councillor?
- What do you think would make the school better? What could you do that people would really like?
- Think of things that are realistic, maybe that you could do yourself, rather than having to ask other people to do?
Thank you to our current school councillors for all their ideas and contributions over the last year. We hope you have enjoyed this role and responsibility and you are welcome to stand again for election.
Good luck to all children who decide to stand in the elections. Results will be announced in our assembly on Friday 07 February.